FUJIYAMA, Taneyoshi.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Tokyo meisho ("Views of Tokyo"). A well-preserved set of colourful tourist prints of the capital of Meiji Japan. The sights include the newly installed trams and bridges of Shinbashi, fireworks over Ryogoku, cherry blossoms along the Kurome River, the prostitute district of Yoshiwara, and the temples of Asakusa.The set depicts a total of 24 views of famous places, 2 per sheet, illustrated by one "Naohiko". The views typify the outward image projected by the country at the turn of the century, combining respect for traditional culture and architecture with references to rapid modernization and Westernization. Characters are dressed in a variety of ways, from traditional kimono to Western suits, with some mixing Japanese clothing with European hats.We have been unable to trace any other copies of this set. Two of the prints, Yoshiwara and Horikirishobuen, seem to have originated in a similar set produced in the 1890s by Nagano Risuke in Osaka.

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